Child Care Project

An Investigation of the Effects of Albinism on the Development of

Children.

Examination Number:

Table of Contents

Section Page

Brief…………………………………………………...…….. 4

Analysis……………………………………………………... 6

Possible Solutions…………………………………………... 8

Solution……………………………………………………. 10

Aims……………………………………………………….. 12

Work Plan…………………………………..……………… 14`

Introduction………………………………………………….16

Chapter 1: What is Albinism? ............................................ 18

Chapter 2: How does Albinism Affect a Child’s Physical

Development? ...................................................................... 20

Chapter 3: How does Albinism Affect a Child’s Intellectual

Development? ...................................................................... 24

Chapter 4: How does Albinism Affect a Child’s Social

Development? ...................................................................... 27

Chapter 5: How does Albinism Affect a Child’s Emotional

Development? ...................................................................... 30

Chapter 6: An Interview with an Albino Child……………. 33

Evaluation………………………………………………......36

Conclusion……………………………………………….….38

Bibliography………………………………………..............40

Brief

“Carry out research on any aspect of child development (0-10

years). The study must provide evidence of independent research

and must be presented in a logical sequence in a folder.”

Analysis

I have been asked to investigate any one factor of child

development from conception to the child’s tenth

birthday.

The topic chosen must relate to the physical, emotional,

social and intellectual development of a child

I must carry out research independently

It should be about 1500 words

Possible

Solutions

1. Crèches- Many Irish parents choose to send their children to a

crèche. Obviously, this affects the development of their child

in many ways.

2. Albinism- This is a condition that manifests as no colour in a

person’s hair, skin and eyes. I can interview my mum’s

friend’s albino daughter.

3. The Family- Children form relationships with family

members as they grow and develop. My cousin Jack is three

years old and I can interview his mother about his interactions

with his parents, his sister and step-siblings.

Solution

I have decided to do my project on albinism, as I feel this is the topic I will be able to gather the most information on. I can interview my mother’s friend’s daughter about her condition. Upon further investigation, I realised that visiting a crèche would not be possible, as the local one is only open Monday to Friday during school hours. Also, I do not think that family situation would be a suitable topic as information regarding the physical development of the child would be limited.

Aims

I aim to:

1. Research exactly what albinism is and what causes it

Investigate how albinism affects children:

2. Physically

3. Intellectually

4. Emotionally

5. Socially

6. Interview a young child with albinism

Work Plan

Week 1~ Gather as much information on albinism as possible

Week 2~ Conduct an interview with my mother’s friend’s daughter

Week 3~ Invest in a binder of some sort

Week 4~ Begin to type up project

Week 5~ Finish typing the project and print out the first draft in black and white to assess

Week 6~ Edit the project and insert un-blurred images and a border. I will spell-check it, reread it and print out the final draft

Chapter1: What is

Albinism?

An albino boy of black ethnicity

Albinism is present from the moment of conception. Albinism is caused by a mutation in one of the genes found in the nucleus of the human cell. Each of these genes provides instructions for making melanin. Melanin is produced by cells called melanocytes, which are found in the skin and eyes. A mutation may result in no melanin at all or a significant decline in the amount of melanin. As melanin is the hormone responsible for colour in the hair, skin and eyes, there is little to no colour in them.

The melanin molecule, with the chemical formula of C18H10N2O4

A model of a human DNA strip

Albinism is present from the moment of fertilisation,

when a sperm or egg cell carries a mutated gene

Chapter 2: How does

Albinism Affect a Child’s Physical

Development?

The SkinAlbino children lack melanin, which protects the skin from the sun’s harmful rays, and hence, their skin can burn more easily. Therefore, young children with albinism should minimise time spent in the sun. When outside, it should be seen to that plenty of sunscreen is applied to the child, regardless of the heat of the sun. This is because albino people are more likely to contract melanomas and other skin cancers (below).

Melanoma, a cancerous blemish on the skin

This albino child is suffering from melanomas,

as do many children with the condition

The EyesThe optical system is highly dependent on melanin, and the absence of this pigment may result in:

Involuntary movement of the eyes in a circular motion Inaccuracy in vision Photophobia (sensitivity to light) Optic nerve hypoplasia, a condition caused by the

underdevelopment of the optic nerve

The colour of an albino person’s eyes is usually light blue. Therefore, the iris may be translucent, so the red blood vessels of the retina are visible, giving the eye a bright red appearance. However, it is a common misconception that all albino people have red/pink eyes.

Chapter 3:How does

Albinism Affect a Child’s

Intellectual Development?

Educational DifficultiesAlthough the IQ of a child with albinism is not likely to be any lower than that of a normal child, some aspects of their condition may hinder their intellectual development. The feeble eyesight of an albino child makes it incredibly difficult for children to focus on writing.

This is what a passage of text may look like to a sufferer of albinism

Aids to EducationMany schools have begun to hire TVIs (Teachers of the Visually Impaired) to assist all students with difficulty seeing.

Students with albinism will usually sit in the front row where there is adequate lighting. Albino students may or may not require large type.

Computers can be of great use to students with low vision. The machine shown below is called a visualiser. It is a device that magnifies text and displays it on a computer screen for visually impaired students.

Chapter 4:How does

Albinism Affect a Child’s

Social Development?

Society has many preconceived ideas about albinism, so children who have the condition can have a hard time integrating and socialising. The child may have a strained relationship with brothers and sisters as they may be bitter about their sibling receiving more parental attention than them.

Above is a Brazilian family with three albino children. In families like this, there can be tension between family members. The albino children need constant care and close attention, so their siblings may feel left out.

Disciplining children with albinism can be difficult. Good discipline should be firm, fair, immediate and consistent. However, an albino child has limited ways to express themselves, as outdoor play and interaction with peers is limited. Therefore, they may behave recklessly when they can to make up for the aforementioned reasons.

An example of child discipline

Chapter 5:How does

Albinism Affect a Child’s

Emotional Development?

Emotional development is a normal part of growing up. As an albino child develops, they may struggle to come to terms with their condition. Therefore it is vital that parents build a healthy communicative relationship with their child. For albino children, this may be challenging because of feelings of social isolation. A therapist may be employed to help with the child’s communication and emotional development.

There are many groups that provide help and emotional support for children with albinism. NOAH is one such organisation. They are a non-profit charity and provide support and guidance for albino children and their parents. They also help them to overcome bullying, which can be a major problem. Albino children have reported bullies calling them things like “alien”, “Casper” and “whitie”.

Chapter 6: An Interview

with the Parent of an Albino

Child.

I conducted the following interview with my mother’s friend, who has a six year old albino daughter. She must remain anonymous.

Can you tell me when your daughter was diagnosed with albinism?

When she was six months we realised she had problems with her vision, but it wasn’t until her first birthday that we realised her hair was unnaturally white. A doctor diagnosed her the following day.

How does her condition affect her daily life?

When she gets up in the morning, the first thing she does is put on some sunscreen. Her skin burns very easily in the sun, even if it’s not too hot.

When I bring her to town, I use a stroller, even though she’s too old for it, really. This is because she can’t judge the height of a step.

How is her education going??

We’re homeschooling her at the moment, as we don’t feel she’s ready to socialise with others just yet. Her tutor uses a visualiser with her to reduce eye strain. We hope to place her in public school soon enough.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today!

You’re welcome!

I gleaned lots of information on albinism from this interview. The child’s parent provided an excellent firsthand account of how her daughter’s life has been affected by her condition. It was very rewarding.

Evaluation

Looking back, I think my project went very well. I had six aims and I achieved every single one. I learned a lot about albinism, child development in general and also about the specific development of albino children physically, intellectually, socially and emotionally.

I learned several new skills from doing the project. The speed of my typing is much faster than it was before. I now know how to use a USB and I am more familiar with Microsoft Word and Google Drive. My formal letter writing skills have improved, as I had to write to many organisations and companies for information.

I found the interview incredibly beneficial as the child was an excellent source of first hand information. The emails I sent to NOAH received some great responses. If I were doing the project again, I would avoid looking for newspaper articles as the few that I could find didn’t feature any unique perspectives. I would have focused more on books about the topic, as the ones that I read proved to be valuable.

Conclusions

All images were sourced from Google Images and Google Clip Art. I would like to offer a special thanks to NOAH for all of their help and for the extra resources they sent me. I am also incredibly grateful to mum’s friend’s daughter for doing an interview with me.

The project complies with all of the requirements specified in the brief. For example, I carried out independent research and bound it in a logical sequence in a folder.

I hope that the project has given the reader a better understanding of albinism in general, but also of the development of children with the condition.

The project was done between the end of September and the middle of November 2015.

Bibliography

Books

“Learning for Life” by Enright, Carmel & Flynn, Maureen. Folens, 2007

“Lifelines” by Enright, Carmel & Flynn, Maureen. Folens, 2010

“You Are Special; A Story about a Boy with Albinism” by Perkins, Dario A. Lulu Publishing Service, 2014

“Living with Albinism” by Landau, Elaine. Hachette, 1998

Websites

www.albinism.org

www.kidshealth.org

Documentaries

www.youtube.com Akin-Olatunji, Lola, 2011

Newspaper Articles

“Albinos in Tanzania Hunted for their ‘Magical’ Flesh”, by Roberts, Christine. New York Daily News, 5th of December 2012

Interview

Interview was conducted with my mother’s friend’s daughter (who must remain anonymous) on November 28th 2015

Thank you for taking the time to read my project, Sir/Madam Examiner.